Improved boot-crimp



UNITED STATES PATENT OEEICE.

ABRAM OAYWOOD AND GEORGE W. OAYVVOOD, OF ITHACA, OHIO.

IMPROVED BOOT-CRIMP.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No; 50,904, dated November 14, 1865.

To all whom t may concern,-

Be it known that we, ABRAM OAYWOOD and GEORGE W. OAYWOOD, both of Ithaca, Darke county, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Boot-Orimps 5 and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification.

Our invention relatesl to an improvement for crimping the uppers ot' boots, whereby the leather is made to permanently and rapidly assume the proper form without wrinkling and with a small expenditure ot labor and skill.

Figure l is a perspective view of our invention, showing the form and mold detached. Fig. 2 represents the inner face of one ot' the jointed cheeks of our molds.

The inner portion of the crimp, called the form, is composed of two slabs, A and B, united so as to move freely in one plane and in the direction for crimping by the butt-hin ge O. The slab A terminates in a shoulder, D, made to catch under a bar, E, in the mold. The slab A is prolonged to form ahandle, F, which may be perforated f so as to enable the form to be hung up when out ot' the mold.

G is a screw which penetrates the joint or hinge C, and which carries a customary vise, H H', to grasp the intermediate portion of the upper and to keep it from slipping on the form.

I is a pin, which, being inserted into a perforation ot' the hinge, serves to hold the form to the bent position and prevent the stress of the leather from springing the form back when removed from the mold.

The mold is composed of two' cheeks, J and J', each of which cheeks is composed of two precisely-corresponding slabs, K K' and L L', united by hinges O' and O", ofthe same kind as that which unites the two members of the form.

The two cheeks ot' the mold are secured together by screws M M', which, in connection with spring-helices N N' and nuts O O', enable the operator to regulate the width of interval between the cheeks of the mold, so as to adapt the instrument to any thickness of leather.

7' are sloping shoulders on the mold to correspond with the chamfered front edge, a., of the form.

The mold is notched (P) to enable its insertion within a staple, Q, upon a stand or horse, R, whereby the instrument is held in a convenient working position.

The operation is as follows: The form having been arranged so that the slabs A and B are apparently prolongations of each other, the leather, thoroughly moistened, is drawn over the form and secured in place by the vise G H H'. The mold having been straightened to the same shape as the form and adjusted to the needed thickness, the form is so inserted in the mold as for the shoulder I) to engage under the bar E. The slabs B, K, and L are now pressed down and turned on their hinges by bearing against the handle F. The pin I is then placed in the perforation of the hinge to keep the form from -springing back. The form is then taken out of the mold, and the edge of the leather being secured by a few tacks, the form, with theleather upon it, is hung up to dry.

By means ot' the above-described provision j we entirely supersede the common tedious manipulation by hammering and tacking over a stift' form. With ourcrimp the process is a comparatively instantaneous one, as it takes but two minutes to crimp a pair of uppers, while by the common mode the shaping of a single upper often consumes halt' an hour.

A person utterly ignorant of the art of shoemaking' can, after afew trials, perform the work as readily and perfectly as a skilled workman, and a mere boy can operate it, as it requires but little power.

The elastic element in the mold enables the proper pressure to be maintained on every part ot' the leather, and while avoiding the danger of tearing the leather eft'ectually prevents the formation of wrinkles, while the adjust-able feature enables a single mold to be employed for a great variety and number ot' forms.

le claim herein as new and ot' our inven- 2. A boot-crimp composed of a moldhav- In testimony of which invention we here ing the pair of hinged cheeks J and J', having unto set our hands.

a exible and adjustable connection when com- ABRAM CAYWOOD. bined with a hinged form, A B, in Jche manner GEORGE YV. CAYWOOD.

'set forth. Witnesses:

3. The arran gement of rod l and hinged form GEO. H. KNIGHT, A B, as described. A J AMES H. LAYMAN. 

